Three-dimensional printing, which may also be referred to as additive manufacturing, is a technology that allows for a three-dimensional object to be “printed” based on a three-dimensional model of the desired object. For example, three-dimensional printers may accept three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) drawings or other appropriate three-dimensional models as inputs, and may produce a three-dimensional “print out” of the object described by the model.
To print a desired object, a three-dimensional printer may “slice” the three-dimensional model of the object into digital cross-sections or layers of varying shapes, and may print or construct the desired object layer-by-layer according to the cross-sections. Depending on the configuration of the three-dimensional printer, the printed objects may be constructed using a variety of different materials, such as plastics, ceramics, metals, papers, or other appropriate materials.